DPR Review of Events Relating to the Question of Palestine (October 2016) – DPR Monthly Review

Division for Palestinian Rights

Chronological Review of Events Relating to the

Question of Palestine

Monthly media monitoring review

October 2016

October 2016 chron

1 Oct

Israeli forces banned Palestinians from entering Israel from the occupied West Bank or Gaza until after the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana. (Haaretz)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a conference in Bethlehem said that the Palestinian hands are still extended for peace with Israel after Israel closed the doors for dialogue. (Xinhuanet.com)

2 Oct

Israeli forces detained at least 15 young Palestinian men in East Jerusalem for several hours before releasing them and banning twelve of them from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israel has approved the construction of settlements of 98 housing units in the West Bank, including a new settlement to relocate settlers residing in the “Amona” outpost. (Ma’an News Agency)

Palestinian prisoner Omar al-Hih suspended his one-week hunger strike on 1 October after Israeli authorities agreed not to renew his administrative detention. Former prisoner Malik al-Qadi returned home on 2 October after his 68-day hunger strike. (Ma’an News Agency)

Palestinian authorities paid the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) NIS 590 million, the first payment in the debt settlement agreement signed two weeks ago. As part of the agreement, the electrical grid in the State of Palestine will be under Palestinian responsibility. (Ynetnews.com)

The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign was the latest European Palestinian advocacy group to confirm that its bank accounts had been closed, after the Bank of Ireland withdrew its services citing Palestine as a high-risk country (RTÉ).

3 Oct

On 3 October, the Palestinian Supreme Court in Ramallah ruled that municipal elections scheduled for 8 October would be held in the occupied West Bank, but not in Gaza because its courts are “illegal”, a decision swiftly criticised by Hamas. (Haaretz)

The Committee of Prisoners’ Families published statistics showing that Israeli forces have detained 2,355 Palestinians in Jerusalem since 1 October 2015, including 866 children and 79 below the age of twelve. (Middle East Monitor)

The investment arm of the Palestinian Authority opened a new cement plant, the first in the Palestine, which will start production in 2018 to provide 90% of the cement needs for the Palestinian construction market which currently depends on Jordan and Israel (Global Cement).

According to an opinion poll by the Project HadMidgam Institute, 64% of Israelis believe that a peace deal with the Palestinians will never be achieved. (Times of Israel)

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) held its 378th meeting at UNHQ. The Committee adopted its draft annual report and heard a briefing from UNCTAD on its annual report on “developments in the economy of the oPt” and a report on the cost of occupation. In his briefing, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine Mansour said “The situation on the ground is moving from bad to worse,”, decrying Israel’s intensified settlement constructions and home demolitions. (un.org)

4 Oct

Israeli forces have detained two young Palestinian men in Jerusalem and Ramallah. (IMEMC)

In Hebron, Israeli forces kept the roadblock in the Zawiya neighborhood closed for the third consecutive day, and prevented the residents, including school children, from crossing. (IMEMC)

A day after the Palestinian Supreme Court ruled to exclude the Gaza Strip from the elections, the Palestinian government decided to postpone the elections for four months. The Central Election Commission (CEC) welcomed the decision as it will “protect the country’s unity”. (WAFA)

The Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov welcomed the decision to postpone local elections, stressing it is in the national interest of the Palestinian people that when such elections take place, they be organized both in the West Bank and Gaza.(unsco.org)

Israeli forces detained at least nine Palestinians, including at least two minors, in overnight raids in East Jerusalem, Hebron and Nablus districts. (Ma’an News Agency)

5 Oct

Israel lifted the general ban it had imposed on all passage for Palestinians traveling between the occupied West Bank and Israel and between the blockaded Gaza Strip and Israel for the three-day Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, allowing Palestinian workers, medical patients and permit-holders to cross. (Ma’an News Agency)

A rocket struck an open area in the Israeli city of Sderot near the Gaza border and Israeli forces responded with retaliatory air strikes against “Hamas targets” in Gaza. No casualties were reported on either side (Jerusalem Post, Ma’an News Agency, Haaretz)

In several separate incidents on 5 October, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian farmers and shepherds east of Gaza city and at fishermen sailing off the Strip, damaging a number of fishing boats but causing no injuries. (Wafa)

In September alone, Israeli troops detained more than 400 Palestinians. (IMEMC)

PLO Secretary-General Erekat said that Israel’s decision to authorize the construction of 98 new housing units near the illegal Israeli settlement of “Shvut Rachel” proves its intention to destroy the two-state solution. (Palestine News Network)

Israeli Justice Minister Shaked has called on Israel to reform its legal system to strengthen its Jewish nature, claiming that a more “Jewish” Israel is also more “democratic”. (Times of Israel)

There are approximately 7,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including 59 women, of which 12 are minors, and 700 who are being held in “administrative detention” without charge or trial. (IMEMC)

Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Bensouda and an accompanying delegation arrived in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories for a five day visit to “promote better understanding” about its work and conduct meetings with officials in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ramallah, but will not be collecting evidence of war crimes. (Palestine News Network)

A poll conducted by the Ruya Center for Political Development in Gaza and the West Bank showed that 66.5% of Palestinians are against the Palestine Government’s decision, opposed by Hamas, to postpone local elections after a Supreme Court ruling, viewing it as a “politicised” verdict. (Palestine News Network)

A group of 15 female Freedom Flotilla Coalition activists, including Northern Ireland’s 1976 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire, seeking to break Israel’s decade-long blockade of the Gaza Strip are less than 70 nautical miles from the coast aboard the ship Zaytouna-Oliva, which left Barcelona in September and is expected to be intercepted by the Israeli navy imminently. (Times of Israel, Ynetnews, Al Jazeera)

The Palestinian election committee decided to cancel the upcoming local elections and all ongoing preparations for the polls. Candidature fees (ca. US$ 1,400) would be paid back. (Palestinian Information Center)

The US Government sharply criticised the recent Israeli announcement to build 300 new settlement housing units. Warning that the decision jeopardizes the already distant prospect of Middle East peace as well as Israel’s own security, press secretary Josh Earnest said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's word had been called into question. “We did receive public assurances from the Israeli government that contradict this announcement,” he said. “I guess when we’re talking about how good friends treat one another, that's a source of serious concern as well.” In a similarly strong-worded statement, the State Department said that the plan not only undermines hopes for peace with the Palestinians but “is fundamentally inconsistent with Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state.” Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and other countries voiced strong protest against the Israeli decision. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the decision as well as for the creation of a new industrial zone west of Ramallah, reiterating that “settlements are illegal under international law, and such decisions run counter to Quartet recommendations.” (AFP, WAFA)

Israeli forces levelled 9 acres of Palestinian lands planted with olive and other trees in Hebron governorate. (Ma’an News Agency)

The “Women’s Boat to Gaza”, carrying 13 civil society activists with the goal to break the Israeli blockade, was intercepted by the Israeli Navy 35 nautical miles off the coast of the Gaza Strip and towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod. (The Times of Israel)

6 Oct

In overnight raids, Israeli security forces arrested at least at least 40 Palestinians, including at least 11 minors, in East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah, Tulkarem and Tubas governorates. (Ma’an News Agency, WAFA)

Violent clashes erupted between Palestinian youths and hundreds of Israeli settlers, while the latter visited Joseph’ Tomb east of Nablus to perform prayers, under heavy protection of Israeli soldiers. (Petra Jordan News Agency)

A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel, exploding in an open area, the second within 24 hours. No injuries were reported. The Israeli army retaliated with tank fire into Gaza. (Haaretz)

Israeli army bulldozers razed land west of Hebron and destroyed water wells and walls. Meanwhile, other Israeli army vehicles crossed the Gaza border near Rafah to raze land and erect dirt barriers along the border area. (WAFA)

Israeli police, escorted by Shin Bet, raided and closed several institutions in Nazareth and Um al-Fahem allegedly affiliated with Hamas, reportedly confiscating equipment and computers. (Ma’an News Agency)

In a press release, the Secretary General of the PLO Saeb Erekat made the following statement: "Although we welcome the State Department's criticism of Israel's plans to construct a new settlement in the occupied State of Palestine, we expect the United States to translate its statements into real action." (xinhuanet.com)

PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi urged the international community to exercise the political will necessary to put an end to Israel’s war crimes following the announcement of plans to build a new settlement and the arrest of activists on a Gaza-bound aid boat. (WAFA)

In an editorial the New York Times called on the Security Council to set the parameters for a future peace deal, noting that “Another, though weaker, option is for Mr. Obama to act unilaterally and articulate this framework for the two parties.” (The New York Times, The Jerusalem Post)

7 Oct

Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Gaza City, before detaining two Palestinian fishermen and confiscating their boat. (Haaretz)

Israeli warplanes targeted about 40 sites across the Gaza Strip. Hamas Spokesman Sami Abu-Zuhri said: “We will not keep our arms crossed while the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip continues.”(Middle East Monitor)

Israeli forces carried out a predawn raid of the al-Far’a refugee camp in the West Bank, injuring three Palestinians and detaining two. (IMEMC)

In a statement, the EU External Action Service said that Israel had broken with public statements promising not to build new settlements, calling the plans "effectively a new settlement in the northern West Bank." (EU External Action Service)

The Security Council is to hold an “Arria formula” meeting next week on Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (Haaretz, Arutz Sheva )

The British Government reportedly halted the transfer of £25 million in aid to the PA following complaints that money ended up benefiting assailants who carried out attacks against Israel. (Haaretz)

Officials from the ICC are visiting Israel and the West Bank against the backdrop of a probe into the 2014 Gaza war. But Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the trip was not linked to her ongoing initial inquiry into the war. (The Times of Israel)

As demonstrators were marching for their weekly non-violent demonstration against the Wall and illegal settlements in Bil’in village, Israeli forces blocked the main road toward the Wall, declared the entire area a ‘closed military zone’, and detained the local organizer of the protest. (IMEMC)

9 Oct

An Israeli police officer and an Israeli woman were shot dead by a Palestinian and six others were injured in a drive-by shooting in the occupied East Jerusalem. The shooting attack came a day after the assailant said that he intended to turn himself in to serve a prison sentence over charges that he assaulted an Israeli police officer in 2013. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli soldiers detained two young Palestinian men from Huwwara town, south of Nablus, and one Palestinian from Meithaloon town, south of Jenin. (IMEMC)

Israeli forces injured more than 50 Palestinians during clashes outside al-Quds University in the district of Jerusalem. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces detained in overnight raids across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem at least 56 Palestinians, including the 14-year-old daughter of a slain Palestinian attacker.  (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces shot and lightly wounded an Associated Press photographer with a rubber-coated steel bullet while he was covering clashes in the occupied West Bank village of al-Ram. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone to US Secretary of State John Kerry in a bid to calm Washington's anger over new Israeli settlement plans. (AFP)

The EU, in a statement, condemned the attack perpetrated on 9 October in Jerusalem, stressing that such acts illustrate once more the urgent need to bring a new impetus to the peace process. (eeas.europa.eu)

Israeli forces demolished eight homes in the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar in the central occupied West Bank, leaving 28 Palestinians homeless, including 18 minors, according to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem. (Ma’an News Agency)

More than a thousand Israelis, escorted by Israeli forces, visited Joseph’s Tomb in the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus, sparking clashes with local Palestinian youth. Israeli settlers from different settlements across the West Bank traveled in 24 buses and arrived to the religious site near the Balata refugee camp, where they performed religious rituals until dawn. (Ma’an News Agency)

10 Oct

Israeli soldiers raided Tulkarem city and Tulkarem refugee camp, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, detained one Palestinian and injured several others, including a child. (IMEMC)

Several Israeli military jeeps raided the town of ‘Azzoun, east of Qalqilia, broke into and searched dozens of homes, and arrested ten Palestinians. (IMEMC)

Special Coordinator Mladenov condemned the terror attack by a Palestinian perpetrator in the occupied East Jerusalem which killed two Israelis and injured six others (unsco.org)

Japan signed a contribution of $4M to UNRWA to support food assistance for Palestine refugees in Gaza (unrwa.org)

Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Roger Waters issued a statement in support for the “Women’s boat to Gaza”, who were arrested this week after the boat was intercepted by the Israeli navy. (theguardian.com)

Israeli forces closed the store belonging to the family of the Palestinian who killed two Israelis in a shooting attack in Jerusalem on Sunday, calling the store a “hub of incitement” to terrorism. (Haaretz)

Israeli forces demolished the Nablus home of a Palestinian convicted of abetting those responsible for an attack in which two Israelis were killed in October 2015. (Haaretz, Associated Press)

In a telephone conversation, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu told US Secretary of State Kerry that Israel expected the US not to promote or support a UN Security Council resolution on Israel-Palestine between the presidential election on 8 November and President Obama leaving office in January 2017. Kerry said a decision had not yet been made. (Haaretz)

Israeli forces shot and killed a 12-year-old child in the Gaza Strip. (WAFA)

Israel´s Civil Administration demolished eight buildings belonging to Palestinians in the “Mishor Adumim” region of the West Bank. (Haaretz)

11 Oct

Israeli security forces said they had arrested a Palestinian man and “Hamas operative” who was planning a suicide bombing in Jerusalem. (Jerusalem Post)

Israeli forces shot and injured three Palestinian youth with live fire during clashes in Bethlehem. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces detained at least eight Palestinians, including three alleged Hamas members as well as the son of a prominent Islamic Jihad official, in overnight raids across the northern occupied West Bank. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces have barred Palestinians from entering the country from the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip ahead of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur that begins on Tuesday evening. (AFP)

According to a report released by B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, since the beginning of the year Israeli forces have demolished 252 Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank, making 1,062 people homeless, including 553 children. (B’Tselem)

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu believes that a Hillary Clinton administration would be “more instinctively sympathetic to Israel” than Obama’s White House, according to an email released by WikiLeaks. (Times of Israel)

Following a resolution of the UN Human Rights Commission in March, the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called on UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson to publish “the Black List” of Israeli businesses and international corporations, which have ties with the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights to facilitate the launching of boycotts. These include, for example, banks which could be boycotted by the UN even if their main operation centers are not situated in the West Bank or the Golan Heights. “It is reasonable to assume that the UN has ties with businesses which are expected to be included on the list, and therefore the UN must stop these illegitimate links,” Al-Hussein wrote. He urged the issue to be highlighted as soon as possible and be brought to the attention of the UN Procurement Division, which manages regular contacts with Israeli companies and only recently reported that the volume of procurement from Israel has doubled twice in the last two years. The council is currently engaged in institutionalizing an orderly working method for formulating annual lists, in cooperation with other countries, and “bodies and stakeholders.” (Ynetnews)

Palestinian Football Association officials have written to FIFA President Gianni Infantino calling on soccer’s world governing body to ban six Israeli clubs based in illegal West Bank settlements from the organisation. FIFA’s executive committee is expected to discuss the issue at a meeting later this week. (Times of Israel)

Two Palestinian prisoners – Jawad Jawarish and Maher Ibayyat, both from Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank – have ended their hunger-strikes after their demands to be removed from solitary confinement were accepted by the Israeli prison authorities. (Ma’an News Agency)

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki stated that the UN Security Council will hold two special meetings this month on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, scheduled for 15 and 24 October, and that Palestine would consult with member states including Russia and the Arab Quartet on a draft resolution condemning the settlements. (Xinhua)

Violent clashes with Israeli security forces during arrest and search operations in the town of Al Ram have reportedly left dozens of persons including children injured by live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas inhalation. In Silwan, in East Jerusalem, clashes also erupted with a 20-year old man being killed. (Ma’an News Agency, International Middle East Media Centre)

The Israeli army reportedly demolished in Jerusalem the family home of a Palestinian man convicted of being an accomplice to a deadly attack on Israelis last year. He is said to be currently serving two life sentences plus 30 years. (The Daily Star)

A group of Israelis was reportedly escorted by the police to perform religious rituals at the Al-Aqsa compound. The Islamic Waqf said that such actions were in breach of its agreement with Israel. Settlers under the protection of the IDF were also reported to have entered the archaeological site of Sebastia in the West Bank for prayer, and to have taken down the Palestinian flag. (Petra Jordan News Agency, Ma’an News Agency, Al Ray).

The Recognize Palestine Walk from Sidney to Canberra ended with the submission of a petition to the House of Representatives asking for the Australian Government to formally recognize the State of Palestine. (Middle East Monitor)

According to a WHO report, August showed a seven-year-low in Israeli authorities´ approval rate of patient permit applications to leave Gaza for medical treatment. Of 2,394 patient permit applications to exit Gaza through the Erez crossing, only 60.3% were approved. 186 patients were denied permits, including 5 children and 16 elderly persons over 60 years. (Middle East Monitor)

12 Oct

Throughout the season of Jewish High Holidays in October, extensive closures have been imposed across the West Bank and access to the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron has been restricted. In East Jerusalem, volunteers will reportedly be provided with weapons to guarantee the safety of Jewish worshippers. (Ma’an News Agency)

In the southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli army reportedly shot from military watchtowers at unarmed farmers and bird hunters near the border area, forcing them to leave the place. Shooting by the Israeli navy at fishing boats was also reported. (Ma’an News Agency, Wafa)

New statistics released by the Gazan authorities, which stated that socio-economic conditions were at their lowest point since 1967, also indicated that the population of Gaza had reached two million. (Middle East Monitor, Gulf News)

In a letter to FIFA dated 7 October, Wilfried Lemke, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, reiterated the position of the Security Council according to which settlements contravene international law. Ahead of its Council meeting on 13 and 14 October, FIFA had sought from the UN an opinion regarding the participation of Israeli football clubs based in settlements in FIFA sponsored competitions. (Middle East Monitor, The Guardian)

A circus group from Ireland (Taking Flight) travelled to Gaza for a four-day training and circus culture exchange with the Gaza Circus School which was founded two years ago and survives on donations. (Middle East Monitor)

Israeli authorities closed the entrance of the Issawiya neighbourhood in East Jerusalem ahead of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur and detained five children who had allegedly thrown Molotov cocktails and stones. (Maan News Agency)

Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp demanded that UNRWA retreat from its decision to join classes and increase the number of students in classrooms to 45 as part of ongoing education cuts. (Palestinian Media Agency)

13 Oct

Israeli forces seized residential structures belonging to Palestinians in the Arab al-Mlehet area in the West Bank. (WAFA)

Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian homes and agricultural lands in the southern Gaza Strip. (IMEMC)

Israeli forces destroyed a local road leading to the village of al-Hadidiya in Area C. (WAFA)

Israeli authorities revoked travel permits for 31 of 35 civilian employees of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. (WAFA)

Israeli forces distributed warning letters to the residents of Beit Fajjar, urging them to prevent further local “destructive operations” or face a crackdown. The letters ended by asking the local people to help Israeli soldiers “restore stability” in the area. (Times of Israel)

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon criticised B´Tselem´s planned presentation at the UN Security Council on 14 October, saying the group would be “providing moral cover for anti-Israel activities at the UN.” (Times of Israel)

Under pressure from far-right ministers, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to ask the High Court of Justice for a six-month delay in evacuating the illegal West Bank outpost “Amona.” (Haaretz)

UNESCO adopted a resolution on Jerusalem and its Holy Sites. 24 countries voted in favour of the decision while 6 voted against and 26 abstained. The US, Britain, Germany, Holland, Lithuania and Estonia voted against the resolution. (Haaretz)

The UN Secretary-General´s Special Advisor on Sport Wilfried Lemke has sent FIFA a letter stressing that Israeli soccer teams in West Bank settlements have no legal status as the UN Security Council has deemed settlements a violation of international law. (Jewish Press)

UNRWA announced it will disburse more than US$1.6 million for reconstruction and severe repair works across the Gaza Strip. 205 families will be able to access this assistance through local banks next week. (Jordan News Agency)

The Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC) petitioned the High Court of Israel on behalf of the National Campaign for Retrieving Bodies of Martyrs (NCRBM), demanding that Israel hand over the bodies of 52 Palestinians buried in what is known as “numbers cemeteries.” (WAFA)

Israeli forces officially denied responsibility for the death of a 10 year-old Palestinian child who was allegedly shot in the back in the southern Gaza Strip the previous day. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli soldiers raided a “mourning tent” in Hebron dedicated to a Palestinian man killed by Israeli forces on Sunday after carrying out a deadly shooting attack in occupied East Jerusalem. The soldiers tore down pictures of Misbah Abu Sbeih and placards featuring political slogans. (Ma’an News Agency)

Egyptian border authorities stated that the Rafah crossing would be opened on both sides on Saturday and Sunday for humanitarian cases and “stranded people.” (Ma’an News Agency)

During a two-day visit to the Gaza Strip, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Mladenov warned of the potential for increased violent conflict and condemned Israel’s failure to loosen its blockade of the coastal enclave. (Xinhua)

14 Oct

Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said it had indicted three Arab Israelis for acts inspired by the Islamic State group, including attempting to commit arson, smuggle weapons into Israel and cross into Syria to join the Islamic State. (Associated Press)

Israel has suspended cooperation with UNESCO after the international cultural body’s Executive Board adopted two resolutions on Jerusalem which identified its holy sites by their Muslim names only and without recognising their importance in Judaism. Israeli Education Minister Bennett accused UNESCOof ignoring “thousands of years of Jewish ties to Jerusalem” and supporting “Islamist terror”. UNESCO’s Director-General also criticised the decision. (AFP, Times of Israel)

A spokesman for Palestinian President Abbas welcomed the UNESCO vote on two Jerusalem-related resolutions, which he said sent a “clear message” to the US that the international community does not accept the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and that Washington must review its “wrong policies”. (Ma’an News Agency, Xinhua)

Two Palestinian prisoners being held in administrative detention in an Israeli prison in the Negev have entered their tenth day of a hunger strike protesting their imprisonment. (Ma’an News Agency)

At the Security Council “Arria-Formula” Meeting, member states were briefed by experts and NGOs on “Illegal Israeli Settlements: Obstacles to Peace and the Two-State Solution”. Presentations were given by Lara Friedman of “Americans for Peace Now”, Hagai El-Ad of “B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories” and Francois Dubuisson of the Free University of Brussels. Ms. Friedman emphasised that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories was not only a violation of collective and individual Palestinian rights, but also a “threat to Israeli’s security and very existence”. Between 1993 and 2015, the number of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank has increased from around 116,000 to over 390,000 – and in East Jerusalem from around 146,000 to over 220,000. Through both active and passive policies, the Israeli government has been permitting the construction and expansion of settlements leading, according to Ms. Friedman, to the “inescapable conclusion” that Israel is pursuing a “deliberate strategy” to prevent the establishment of a viable Palestinian state. Mr. El-Ad similarly condemned the Israeli occupation and illegal settlements and highlighted how the Israeli judicial system has condoned both practices, providing a “legal guise for organised state violence”. He also commented that if the international community did not back up its rhetoric condemning these injustices with action, Israel would only continue its violations of Palestinian human rights and it’s damaging of the prospects for a two-state solution. Mr. Dubuisson reiterated the clear illegality of Israeli settlements and stressed that states therefore have a legal obligation – produced by the Geneva Convention, General Assembly resolutions and rulings by the International Court of Justice – not to support or participate in the settlements in any way. This would entail, he said, states banning the import of goods produced in the settlements and refusing to invest in or do business with companies based or operating there. Member states, including the France, Russia, the UK and the US, responded by condemning the settlements as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Before the meeting began, the Israeli government condemned it as “diplomatic terrorism”. (UN)

15 Oct

Israel´s Central Court sentenced a 14-year-old Palestinian to more than 6 years in prison on charges of “possessing a knife and attempted murder.” (Middle East Monitor)

16 Oct

Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians in Jenin-area clashes. (Ma´an News Agency)

Dozens of Israeli settlers erected tents on Palestinian land to the east of Idhna, forced Palestinian shepherds to disperse and prevented them from grazing their livestock in the area. (WAFA)

17 Oct

Israeli forces detained 12 Palestinians, including the Director of the Palestinian Ministry of Education´s department which oversees schools in East Jerusalem, in overnight raids across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. (Ma´an News Agency)

Hamas test-fired long-range missiles into the sea off Gaza. (Times of Israel)

43 Israeli worshippers, escorted by Israeli police, toured the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound for Sukkot. (Ma´an News Agency)

Israeli Navy ships opened fire on fishing boats in Palestinian territorial waters off the Gaza Strip. (IMEMC)

Israeli forces fired gunshots at Gaza electricity company technicians who were doing maintenance work on electricity lines in the southern Gaza Strip. (Ma´an News Agency)

Fatah plans to hold its 7th Congress in November, Fahmi Zaarir, Fatah Revolutionary Council Deputy Secretary, told Voice of Palestine. (WAFA)

Mexico´s Ambassador to UNESCO Andres Roemer walked out of last week´s vote on the Jerusalem resolution in Paris in what appears to have been a personal protest against Mexico´s decision to vote in favour of the text. (Times of Israel)

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian families who were picking olives on their private land in the northern West Bank. (Ma´an News Agency)

At an UNRWA press conference, Director of Operations Bo Schack stated that Israeli authorities are delaying the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip by not approving names of persons slated for receiving financial aid to rebuild their destroyed homes. (WAFA)

UNRWA distributed gift bags to 6,550 Palestinian refugee students in 267 schools across the Gaza Strip, financed by a contribution by Japanese organization RKK. (UNRWA)

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev has urged Haifa Municipality to cancel a performance by Palestinian rapper Tamer Nafar, stating that his lyrics “give legitimacy to terrorism.” (Middle East Monitor)

At least 27 Palestinians, including university students, were treated for severe suffocation by the Palestinian Red Crescent after inhaling tear gas fired at them by Israeli forces during clashes southeast of Jerusalem. (WAFA)

Israeli border police arrested ten Arab teenagers in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City for hurling rocks at Jewish residents walking to and from the Western Wall. (The Jerusalem Post)

Greece’s ruling Syriza party called for the Greek government to recognize the state of Palestine at the party’s second congress held in Athens. (Ma’an News Agency)

The European Union and Palestinian Ministry of Social Development launched a €1.5 million programme for the improvement of social protection systems in Palestine. (EEAS Press Release, WAFA)

The Palestinian Prisoners Society reported that Israeli soldiers detained 15 Palestinians, including 10 children from a school for orphans and the school’s headmaster, in East Jerusalem, and three Palestinians in Ramallah.(IMEMnews)

Human rights group Defense for Children International released a report providing that Israeli forces imprisoned at least five Palestinian minors, without charge, after the minors shared social media posts that Israeli authorities alleged amounted to “incitement” to commit violence. (Ma’an News Agency)

18 Oct

Israeli forces broke into and closed down a local market in Hebron to allow Israeli settlers “safe” passage to the Ibrahimi Mosque. (Palestinian News Network)

Israeli troops attacked Palestinian farmers while they were harvesting olives near the town of Asira al-Shamaliya in the West Bank, forcing the farmers to leave their land. (WAFA)

Israeli soldiers arrested 19 Palestinians in various parts of the West Bank and Jerusalem. (Petra, Ma’an News Agency, WAFA, Alray)

Israeli settlers in the settlement of Ariel, the second largest Israeli settlement in the West Bank, continue to use land in the West Bank as graveyards by digging new graves in the area behind the Separation Wall in the city of Salfit. (Middle East Monitor)

According to the Palestinian Committee of Prisoners Affairs , the “overwhelming majority” of Palestinian minors held in Israel’s Megiddo and Ofer prisons have been tortured during their detention and interrogation. (Ma’an News Agency)

UNRWA Commissioner-General has concluded a two-day mission to Norway. During the visit, Norway announced an US$5.5 million contribution to UNRWA’s Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal, bringing their total contribution in 2016 to an unprecedented US$ 10.3 million. (www.unrwa.org)

The British 'Football for Palestine’ team, organized by the UK Lions Football Club, concluded a week-long tour of the West Bank with a friendly soccer match at the Arab-American University stadium in Jenin. (WAFA)

Around 200 Israelis toured the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount site in East Jerusalem, heeding calls for the Jewish presence at the holy site to be increased during the Jewish holidays. (IMEMC)

The European Union sent a public message of support to Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem after the Israeli government and Prime Minister Netanyahu fiercely criticised the NGO for detailing human rights violations by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and demanding an immediate end to the occupation in front of an informal meeting of the UN Security Council last week.

The US State Department called on the Israeli government to respect freedom of speech and the autonomy of civil society. (Times of Israel)

According to UNRWA, 4 Palestinian refugees were killed as they attempted to leave the Khan Eshieh Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus. (UNRWA)

19 Oct

A Palestinian woman allegedly attempted a stabbing attack at the Tapuah Junction south of Nablus in the West Bank and was shot dead by Israeli police. There were no injuries to Israeli forces or civilians. (Times of Israel, Ma’an News Agency, Reuters)

Several Israeli military vehicles entered the Gaza Strip, levelling lands near the town of Beit Hanoun. (Ma’an News Agency)

For the second time in a week, Egypt opened the Rafah Crossing, allowing “humanitarian cases” to pass in both directions between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces detained at least 25 Palestinians during night raids across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Israeli army reported that they had uncovered a weapons manufacturing workshop during a raid into the Balata refugee camp in the northern district of Nablus. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces arrested 15 Palestinians, including five children, in early morning raids throughout occupied East Jerusalem following a string of alleged rock throwing incidents. (Ma’an News Agency)

The Israeli security agency Shin Bet has rescinded the permanent exit permits from the Gaza Strip for 12 out of 14 senior officials of the Palestinian Authority’s Civil Affairs Administration, which mediates between Palestinian civilians and Israeli authorities. (Middle East Monitor)

Turkey’s international development agency has provided Palestinian families in six areas in Bethlehem with solar energy systems which will provide electricity for around 500 people to operate water pumps and tanks. (Anadolu Agency)

The UN Security Council met to discuss Middle East issues and to be briefed by Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Mladenov and Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs O’Brien. Mr. Mladenov condemned violence against Israeli and Palestinian civilians by both sides and emphasized that only through negotiations and non-violence will peace be achieved. He reiterated that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law and their expansion must be halted. Mr. Mladenov also highlighted the suffering of the people of Gaza, a theme which Mr. O’Brien also addressed in detail. Mr. O’Brien described the humanitarian and socio-economic situation in Gaza in stark terms. Palestine thanked both Mr. Mladenov and Mr. O’Brien for their briefings and scolded the Security Council for its lack of action to end the Israeli occupation and settlement activity, before calling on member states to pass a resolution condemning both illegal practices as “words are no longer enough”. Israel responded by accusing the UN of an “obsession” with Israel and the Division for Palestinian Rights of propagating “anti-Israel propaganda” in consort with “anti-Israel” civil society organisations. (UN)

A delegation of Palestinian students due to visit the UK for discussions with Scottish National Party (SNP) Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to the SNP Friends of Palestine parliamentary group, were prevented from leaving Palestine by Israeli authorities and awards intended for the SNP MPs seized. (SNP Friends of Palestine)

20 Oct

Islamic Jihad announced that its military wing had completed the construction of a watchtower 300 meters from the Israeli border in the southern Gaza Strip. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teenager in Hebron. (IMEMC)

The PA arrested 3 Palestinians for attending a Sukkot celebration in the home of “Efrata” settlement Mayor Oded Revivi. (The Jewish Press)

The Executive Director of the ICRC called on Egyptian authorities to facilitate the travel of Palestinian patients and students via the Rafah crossing. (Palestine News Network)

21 Oct

Palestinian security forces raided the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, sparking armed clashes with its residents. (Ma’an News Agency)

In a predawn raid in Jenin, Israeli forces detained 3 Palestinians and fired teargas at Palestinian youth. (IMEMC)

250 Palestinian worshippers, all above the age of 50, travelled from Gaza to Jerusalem via the Erez crossing to attend Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian farmers in the southern Gaza Strip, while the Israeli navy fired at Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza coast. (IMEMC)

Egypt and the US have reportedly warned the Palestinians not to advance a resolution on settlements at the Security Council until after the US presidential election. (Haaretz)

President Abbas will travel to Turkey and Qatar to arrange for Fatah representatives from the Gaza Strip to be allowed to come to the West Bank to attend Fatah’s 7th Conference in November. (Haaretz)

UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl concluded a 3-day visit to Germany aimed at strengthening the UNRWA-Germany partnership and raising awareness of the Agency’s work. (UNRWA)

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) released its report “Social Media: a New Venue to Censor and Prosecute Journalists”, which monitored  violations committed by Palestinian and Israeli authorities against Palestinian journalists for their social media posts. (Palestine News Network)

Israeli governmental coalition chairman MK Bitan (Likud) announced his intention to bring forward a new bill to the Knesset that would prohibit Israeli citizens from appearing before international bodies like the UN Security Council. (Israel National News)

23 Oct

Israeli forces raided dozens of homes and arrested 20 Palestinians aged from 15 to 28 years old across occupied East Jerusalem. Raids in other parts of the occupied West Bank led to six further detentions. (Ma’an News Agency, IMEMC)

Israeli soldiers protecting the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit El in the West Bank shot a Palestinian man in the leg with a rubber bullet as he approached a fence surrounding the settlement. (Times of Israel)

Israeli military police opened an internal inquiry into the death of 15-year-old Khalid Bahr Ahmad Bahr, who was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers the previous day in the occupied West Bank, after an alleged stone-throwing incident. (Ma’an News Agency)

Egypt closed the Rafah crossing once again after two weeks of intermittent openings. (Ma’an News Agency)

PLO Secretary General Erekat has written to the EU, UN, US and Russia to demand international action to force the release “without conditions” of the bodies of deceased Palestinians which Israel refuses to return to the bereaved families. (Xinhuanet)

On the last day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, hundreds of Israeli Jews escorted by Israeli forces entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem. (Ma’an News Agency)

Four Palestinians were arrested by Palestinian security services after attending an interfaith meal at the house of an Israeli settler. A Palestinian official stated that “any Palestinian cooperation with settlers is viewed as violating the law, as he cooperates with the enemy.” The men were later released. (Ynetnews, Haaretz, Jerusalem Post)

Several Israeli soldiers raided the Hebron offices of the Palestinian Committee against the Annexation Wall and Colonies, demanding that workers remove images and posters adorning the walls which detail Israeli human rights violations. (IMEMC)

24 Oct

Israeli forces fired at least one missile into the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a shell reportedly fired into Israel by Hamas. (IMEMC, Ynetnews)

Israeli forces shot at Palestinian farmers near the border between Israel and the besieged Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli forces reopened the entrances to the town of Deir Jarir in Ramallah, having declaring the town a “closed military zone” the previous night after “clashes” between Israeli soldiers and young Palestinians. (Ma’an News Agency)

Palestinian President Abbas met with Turkish President Erdogan on the first day of a three day diplomatic and trade visit to Turkey. (Ma’an News Agency)

Israeli settlers are continuing to build a new illegal outpost in the northern Jordan Valley on Palestinian owned land despite a “stop-work order”. (Haaretz, Ma’an News Agency)

At least 115 pro-Palestinian activists with British citizenship have been denied entry to Israel and deported back to the UK since the beginning of 2016, according to official data from the UK government. (Press TV)

UNRWA announced that it disbursed over US$ 1.7 million for reconstruction and severe repair works to 242 refugee families across Gaza last week. (UNRWA)

Talai al-Amal school in Nablus was awarded $1 million at the Arab Reading Challenge ceremony in Dubai for having the best reading programs in the Arab world. (Ma´an News Agency)

25 Oct

Israeli forces detained 15 Palestinians across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including a security guard for the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. (Ma´an News Agency)

Israeli authorities will extend the fishing zone off the northern coast of the Gaza Strip from the current 6 nautical mile limit to 9 nautical miles for the month of November. (Ma´an News Agency)

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi publicly denounced UNESCO´s resolution on Jerusalem and said Italy would vote against similar resolutions in the future. (Ma´an News Agency)

UNESCO´s World Heritage Committee will vote on a resolution entitled “Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls” on 26 October. The resolution was sponsored by Kuwait, Lebanon and Tunisia. (Jewish Press)

The Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction (PECDAR) released a press statement saying that Israel does not have a right to oil found in Palestinian territory, after Israel declared it had discovered an oilfield near the Dead Sea. (Xinhua)

Israeli settlers installed 4 tents in a newly established unauthorized outpost in Khirbit al-Himma in the West Bank´s Northern Plains. (IMEMC)

Israeli artists and academics are demanding that the Habima National Theatre of Israel cancel a performance in the “Kiryat Arba” settlement in Hebron. (Haaretz)

The Arafat Museum in Ramallah will officially open to the public on 10 November, according to an announcement by the Yasser Arafat Foundation. The Museum will contain an electronic information centre, a small specialized library, a hall for variable exhibitions and an auditorium. (WAFA)

Turkey´s international development agency TIKA provided 200 Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip with basic LED lighting systems. (Anadolu Agency)

Two Palestinian children arrested for stone-throwing in the neighbourhood of Shufat in East Jerusalem were released only after hours of interrogation. (Ma´an News Agency)

Israeli forces detained two Palestinians east of the village of Kafr Qaddum in the West Bank district of Qalqilya. (Ma’an News Agency)

A petition urging the nullification of the recent UNESCO resolution on the status of the Al-Aqsa mosque/Haram Al-Sharif was submitted to the organization’s Director-General by a group of Israeli organizations. (Ma’an News Agency)

The Israeli authorities announced the expansion of the fishing zone allotted to Palestinian fishermen from six to nine nautical miles, taking effect on 1 November for two months. (International Middle East Media Centre)

26 Oct

Israeli forces carried out predawn raids across the West Bank, detaining at least 10 Palestinians. (WAFA)

Several Israeli military vehicles entered eastern Gaza near the Nahal Oz military site and razed agricultural lands, while drones reportedly flew above the area. (Ma’an News Agency)

Prosecutors in Israel charged 13 people with inciting violence and terrorism after a wedding video showed far-right Jews dancing with guns and knives and guests mocking the death by arson of a Palestinian toddler. (Reuters)

A multi-unit building in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Silwan was demolished, leaving an extended family of 30 Palestinians homeless. The building was demolished after the Jerusalem municipality rejected the family’s attempts to obtain building permits for many years. (Albawaba, The Middle East Monitor)

Activists from the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign are urging a group of international chefs to cancel their participation in an Israeli culinary show they say is a “whitewash exercise”. (The Middle East Monitor)

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee adopted a resolution to retain the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Ten countries voted in favour of the resolution, two against, eight abstained and one was absent. (Jerusalem Post)

The Jerusalem Municipality and Israeli forces demolished seven residential units in East Jerusalem, reportedly bringing the number of demolitions to 166 in 2016. The figure suggests a sharp increase with regard to 74 demolitions reported in 2015. (Ir Amim, Middle East Monitor, Xinhua)

Citing lack of evidence charges were dropped against two Israeli private security guards who shot and killed in April two Palestinian siblings at Qalandiya checkpoint in the West Bank, allegedly in self-defence after a knife was thrown at them. (Times of Israel, Ma’an News)

27 Oct

Overnight search and arrest operations by Israeli forces were reported in different parts of the West Bank. According to the Palestinian Prisoners Society, 28 Palestinians including minors were arrested in the districts of East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Qalqilia, Jenin and Hebron. (International Middle East Media Centre)

Israeli military vehicles reportedly levelled lands south of the Bureij refugee camp, close to the border between Gaza and Israel, a recurrent practice that is negatively impacting Gaza’s agricultural sector. (Ma’an News) 

Israeli authorities temporarily increased restrictions on the number of trucks allowed into the Gaza Strip through the Karam Abu Salem crossing. The Palestinian Coordination Committee reported that in addition to 90 trucks with cement, 250 trucks with goods were allowed to enter today, estimating that 600 trucks of goods would be required to fulfil the daily needs in the Gaza Strip. (Ma’an News)

Israeli navy ships reportedly fired live rounds at Palestinians fishing boats, close to the coast in the northern part of the Gaza strip. (International Middle East Media Centre)

During clashes in Jerusalem’s Shuafat refugee camp, several Palestinian youths were reportedly injured by Israeli forces using rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas. (Ma’an News Agency)

Consultations with Israelis and Palestinians to hold a meeting in Moscow aimed at reviving talks continue, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said after his return from Israel. The Israelis “are very alarmed and do not want the Israel-Palestine conflict internationalized,” Gatilov told Russian media, arguing that any possible Security Council action had to be cautious enough to “not undermine the possibility of a revival in bilateral talks”. (Reuters)

Approval to build 181 new housing units in Jerusalem’s “Gilo” settlement had been delayed in order not to jeopardize the recently signed memorandum on US military assistance, Israeli Channel 2 reported. (International Middle East Media Centre)

Hamas leaders and President Abbas met in Doha for discussions on intra-Palestinian reconciliation. (Ynetnews)

UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk presented his first report to the General Assembly’s Third Committee. “Without Israel’s settlement project, there would be no rationale for continuing the occupation”, Prof. Lynk stated. (Jerusalem Post)

28 Oct

Overnight search and arrest operations by Israeli forces were reported in several villages in the West Bank districts of Nablus and Hebron. (International Middle East Media Centre)

UNRWA Commissioner-Genera Pierre Krähenbühl concluded a three-day mission to Japan to discuss the importance of improving prospects for Palestine refugees, in particular youth, and avenues to further expand cooperation. (UNRWA)

UNRWA announced a US$ 5 million contribution from Kuwait in support of the Agency’s Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal. (UNRWA)

In his briefing to the Third Committee on 28 October, UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk said that Israel´s status at the UN depends on it ending the occupation, and called for a resolution at the UN or an ICJ advisory opinion on the illegality of continued Israeli occupation. (United Nations, Jerusalem Post)

29 Oct

Israeli settlers cut down 18 olive trees belonging to a Palestinian family in Bethlehem. (Ma´an News Agency)

30 Oct

Israeli forces raided a Ramallah-district village, sparking clashes with local Palestinian youth. (Ma´an News Agency)

Israeli authorities postponed the temporary expansion of the Gaza Strip´s fishing zone due to “bad weather.” (Ma´an News Agency)

After finishing construction of a new water reservoir, Israel announced plans to increase water supplies to the Gaza Strip. (Ma’an News Agency)

31 Oct

Israeli forces detained 18 Palestinians in raids across the West Bank. (International Middle East Media Centre)

Israeli forces entered southern Gaza Strip and levelled lands. (Ma´an News Agency)

Israeli forces demolished homes belonging to a Bedouin family in the Negev desert. (Ma´an News Agency)

In an interview with Voice of Palestine radio, Palestinian Ambassador to France Salman al-Hirfy said France intends to hold an international peace conference and French Special Peace Envoy Pierre Vimont would visit Palestine and Israel in November to coordinate the conference agenda and level of representation. (Xinhua)

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is scheduled to visit Palestine and Israel on 9 November to advance peace negotiations. (Arutz Sheva)

Israeli authorities are reportedly commencing a campaign to convince INTERPOL to reject the Palestinians´ membership application. (Middle East Monitor)

Israeli authorities banned a 5-year-old Palestinian boy from visiting his father in prison. (Ma´an News Agency)

Under a plea deal struck with Israeli prosecutors over a fatal stone throwing attack in Jerusalem in 2015, a Palestinian youth has agreed to testify against 3 other defendants indicted in the attack in return for a shorter prison sentence. (Times of Israel)

Nine Palestinian prisoners continued their open hunger strikes in Israeli prisons to protest solitary confinement, administrative detention and the ill-treatment of female prisoners. (Al Bawaba News, Ma’an News Agency)

A Palestinian security personnel from Qabatiya (Jenin) was killed after opening fire at a checkpoint near “Beit El” settlement, east of Ramallah, wounding three Israeli soldiers, one of them seriously. According to Palestinian medical sources, the IDF denied the Palestinian Red Crescent access to the wounded assailant who bled to death. (International Middle East Media Centre, Haaretz)

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